Sorry bloggers I have been super
busy lately and had bits and pieces of a blog started but never completed but I
finally got a chance to complete it this week. I have been busy getting grades
done for parent teacher conferences along with getting my application finished
so I can start applying to be a contract teacher in Samoa. I fell in love with
this island and everything that it has to offer and I am just not quite ready
to say goodbye to it yet. So fingers crossed that the application process goes
smoothly but this is Samoa and we run on island time.
On Saturday morning we decided that
we were going to try and do one of the hikes. American Samoa is known for
having beautiful hiking trails and we better get those hikes in before we head
home. Early on Saturday we headed for the main island to tackle this hike. Lusi
decided to come along with us and be our tour guide for the day. Going into
this hike Dana and I had thought it was going to be an easy little hike we had
done a portion of it during orientation and remembered it was easy. When we got
to the trailhead and told Lusi we wanted to do the whole hike I could tell that
he was less then thrilled about that. I now know why he thought we were crazy.
The hike was around five mile hike and since we are in the middle of rainy
season lets just say the trail was a little bit slippery for us. At one point
or another I know that all three of us had slipped and tried to casually play
it off as if it was nothing. The trail also had a few obstacles for us to
overcome for instance at points we were hanging onto ropes as we were
navigating this trail. I remember clinging onto this rope for dear life because
otherwise I was going to start sliding down the mountain. A time or two Dana
and I would be sliding down the mountain and Lusi would act as our roadblock
and catch us from sliding any further. It was a great hike all and all and we
made many memories.
On our walk back to the bus we had
encounter with the infamous dogs on the island. The dogs on our small little
island know us now and we seem to have no problems around them. The dogs on the
main island are a whole different story. They can be very mean. We were walking
to catch a bus when this dog started charging at us. Dana and I have about the
worst reaction possible when this occurs. We scream and curl up into the fetal
position because we get scared. What your supposed to do is act really big
start yelling at the dogs and act like you are going to throw a rock at them.
So while Dana and I are freaking out Lusi is yelling at the dog and trying to
act really intimidating. Thank goodness he came along otherwise I have a
feeling that a dog would have attacked us.
This past Monday had proved to be a
test of patience of living on the island. I had a long day at school and my day
got even better when I arrived home from school. Lusi and I had gone to the
well to fill up our water containers and Dana had said she was going to go take
a quick shower. I got back to the house after getting the water and Dana was
like I have some real bad bad news for us. I went to take a shower and we can’t
take a shower in there tonight. We have had issues with our pipes all year
long. Usually about every two months the pipes get clogged and when you flush
the toilet it doesn’t correctly flush. Instead of going outside like it should
it comes up our shower drains. Yes, we had poop in our shower and it smelt
horrible. We called the “plumber” on island and they said they would stop by
tomorrow to help us out. Lusi then told us that the owner of the house never
showers in our shower he always showers out side. This is very typical in
Samoa. We rigged a hose up on our outside porch and created our own shower.
Since we live at the wharf which is about the busiest place on island we don’t privacy
with this shower. We just tied and iea around us and went outside to shower. I
was very skeptical of this at first. To my amazement I actually liked showering
outside a lot better. The water pressure from the hose was way better then what
we get in the shower and I can watch the waves and the sunset all while I am
showering. The only downfall is I have students talking to me and watching me
take a shower. I guess I really am turning into a Samoan.
After our outdoor showers Dana and I
were watching a movie on the couch when out of the corner of my eye I saw a rat
scurry under both of our feet. I have never jumped so fast. I was not expecting
to see a rat and it had scared the crap out of me. We had no idea where the rat
went and then about twenty minutes later we watched it climb up the coconut
tree in our house and scale Dana’s wall. To say it scared the crap out of me
would be an understatement. We decided to go hunting for it and failed to find
the little devil. I was getting ready for bed and putting water into my water
bottle when the rat ran across the counter and past my head once again I jumped
and screamed. I was so mad at the stupid thing. I then was heading towards my
bed when I heard it trying to dig into a box so I finally just threw a rock at
it and closed my door hoping it wouldn’t bother me anymore. I never did end up
seeing the rat again. I am not real sure if it left the house or what but
hopefully he doesn’t reappear.
I hope that all is going well at
home. As my date towards coming home is getting closer I am getting more and
more excited about seeing everyone at home. I just can’t get over how fast this
year is going by. I also can’t believe how much has changed over the past year!
With Love,
Abby
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